The Reggae Movie
1995, NR, 94 min. Directed by Randy Rovins. Starring Dean Fraser, Shaggy, Rayvon, Buju Banton, Wayne Wonder, Luciano, Garnett Silk, Inner Circle, Steel Pulse, Shinehead, Ziggy Marley, The Melody Makers, Sberes Hammond, Dennis Brown, Apache Indian, Carlene Davis, Maxi Priest, Burning Spear.
REVIEWED By Joey O'Bryan, Fri., April 5, 1996
The title says it all. No interviews. No commentary. Just 18 acts, including some of the biggest names in reggae music, doing their thing live on stage from various locales around the world. Director Rovins doesn't make any kind of attempt to examine the phenomenon of the music, nor the highly distinctive culture surrounding it. He's content to merely capture the performances with clichéd music video-styled camera movements, which, for the most part, fail to register the spontaneous energy of the performances at hand. Of course, this isn't the fault of the performers, and if you enjoy reggae music or would simply like to sample a smattering of the genre's most popular artists, then you might get some mild enjoyment out of The Reggae Movie. All others need not apply.
A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.
Oct. 19, 2000
The Reggae Movie, Randy Rovins, Dean Fraser, Shaggy, Rayvon, Buju Banton, Wayne Wonder, Luciano, Garnett Silk, Inner Circle, Steel Pulse, Shinehead, Ziggy Marley, The Melody Makers, Sberes Hammond, Dennis Brown, Apache Indian, Carlene Davis, Maxi Priest, Burning Spear